The second cartoon hits close to home. It's exactly what I fought to avoid in both my regular and AP classes. (And was actually tougher to fight with AP kids who--just like I often did in school--memorized simply for the grade.) It's also why I joined TCI to develop engaging and conceptual curriculum for Social Studies. Kudos to all the teachers out there trying to get students to truly think!

Creativity is based on assembling the skills, facts and ideas at our disposal. Understanding is built on making meaning of the facts we know. Neither one is possible without a base of factual knowledge. Having those at your disposal requires memorization. You can't be creative with facts that exist only on Google.Acquisition of a body of knowledge also has the advantages of being easier to teach and protecting society from teachers' ideological biases.

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joe.bower.teacher@gmail.com

I am Joe Bower (and that is Deborah Meier) and I teach in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. I wish to challenge 'traditional' schooling while exploring more progressive forms of education. I intend on using this blog to uproot some of the most deeply rooted myths that continue to distract people from a love for learning. And I am going to have fun doing it!